Sam is on a mission!

Our boy Sam grew up to be a man, he grew up to be a missionary, just like we all decided he would be the first day he was born! Sam is serving in the Ohio, Columbus mission. He started his mission in October of 2023 and is scheduled to return home October of 2025. We are all so proud of him.💙

We're okay~

Maybe not great, definitely not perfect... But we are Okay~
This is the thing I keep reminding myself daily as I struggle to remember that I am still me even if I can't do the things that I used to be able to do. Even if I never am able to do them.. I am still going to be okay~  

It only takes a moment...

In a moment you turn around and life has changed. I used to be a girl who wished she was married and had babies..I was that girl for a long time~ then in a blink of an eye that changed.

Then I was a girl with a new husband and a baby on the way.

Then I was a mommy who worked and a wife who was always disheveled.

Then I was a mommy who was sick and so pregnant with a husband who was about to loose his job.

Then I was a mommy with a husband who was working 85 hours a week. I had a husband who worked so much and was under so much stress that he lost to much weight that myself and others were worried for him.

Then I was a mommy who had two little ones and was pregnant and had a husband who was working at a good but boring job.

Then I was a wife who's husband was lied about. My two little ones a baby and hubby all needed a strong person to rely on. I needed a moment to scream in my pillow.

Then I became a teachers wife, and mommy to more than my own.. Our friend Emmett came to us. We worked that way for a long time..

Now I am the Mom to three school children and the wife/girlfriend to my Hubby AND,  he and I are the entertainment for our friend Em..

It only takes a moment for your life to turn around and you become a different person, one that you never knew you could or would be.. I hope that I am ready for whatever moment comes next.

A teacher you wish would come live at your house..

Did you ever have a Teacher you wished would come and live at your house? One that made you feel like you were REALLY special! The kind that you knew would always take your side, and have faith in you?? I had a couple that I really walked away from feeling like there was someone at school who KNEW I was going to turn out OK.. Ever wonder how your parents felt about that Teacher??

Sam has had a Special friend the last 3 years who loved him and was really into him and his strengths. I have LOVED her and felt so grateful for her ability to see past what other people see. Jen has seen his funny side, tender heart and very intelligent and inquisitive side! This year there have been a lot of cutbacks in our school district and she unfortunately has lost her place at the school.

We will always love that she gave him a place to go that helped him feel safe from the world.

Sam and Jen



plus.. she has cool shoes!

Once upon a time..

Once upon a time we took Family Photos..
We would head over to the Mall and pay the Picture People some money and they would produce fantastic pictures that we LOVED and we hung them on our wall and felt so much pride!



Then one day...THEY MOVED!!

It has been 5 long years since we had professional photos! All because the Picture People moved & because we had a bad experience with the others guys (JC Penny's, Sears, Walmart)

We have tried and tried to take a nice picture. We would set the timer on the Camera and Rune would run really fast to try and get in the picture and smile nice.


Every now and then we did okay..

BUT, More times than that, they were not great.

Like THIS one~!

One thing is sure, we never looked the way I wanted us to.

Then, a couple of years ago a great gal moved in our ward at church who was SO creative! SHE was a great photographer and lots of people started having their pictures taken by her and I grew more and more frustrated at our lack of a family picture. I would lay in bed wishing that I would call her and she would do our pictures too! EASY you might think but, not for me!!

Since I am always a truthful with you here I will be so again! Here it is..
I HATE to have my picture taken!
I have never been the kind of girl who felt at ease in-front of a camera.. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older. (and less youthful..lol ) I would think, as soon as I have lost a few pounds I will cal or, when I get a hair cut that makes me feel better I will call or, when we have more money for really cute April Cornell dresses for the girls. I thought of a lot of other reasons not to call all because I feel so un-photogenic. The funny thing about it is that I take hundreds of pictures of everyone else.. We have documented (as you may know) everything our little ones have ever done.

Finally I called her!

We went and had pictures taken last Friday!! How very grateful I am that Kristen Moss was okay with doing it on a short notice and that she was willing to go to the spot (far away) that I wanted to go. This is what she did for us! What a wonderful friend!
THANK YOU Kristen Moss Photography for making us smile!

March and all the fun it brings~

March.. and all the fun it brings~